Weather Affects Stroke Risk
April 17, 2002 -- Warmer weather may do your body good and lower the risk of stroke, according to a new study. Researchers found the number of strokes tends to fall in the warmer months, and certain weather conditions are linked to different types of strokes.
The study was presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers say they found a link between weather and the occurrence of stroke after studying nearly 3,300 first-time stroke patients in the Dijon region of France over a 14-year period. They recorded weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind strength, and the presence of sun and rain on the day of the stroke and five days beforehand.
The researchers found that the total number of strokes was lower in warmer weather, and some specific weather conditions were associated with particular types of strokes.
"There was a big decline in the number of strokes from an atheroma (fat deposited within the blood vessel wall which thickens it, interfering with blood flow) in the large arteries during the warmer seasons," says study author Dominique Minier, MD, of the Service de Neurologie in Dijon, in a news release.
"Further, we observed that there were a greater number of overall strokes and [ischemic] strokes caused by a blockage of the large arteries in the brain and heart occurring when there had been a temperature drop five days previously," says Minier. High air pressure and humidity were also linked to a greater number of this type of ischemic stroke.
Researchers say the relationship between weather and stroke may be due to changes in how blood flows and clots as well as other factors. They say more research is needed to understand this association.